


The Goodest Bestest

by tuppenny



Series: Growing Together [20]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, First Day of School, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 16:07:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20567132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tuppenny/pseuds/tuppenny
Summary: Ellie's first day of kindergarten





	The Goodest Bestest

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Carbon65](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carbon65/gifts).

> Wrote this like 9 months ago in response to this writing-prompt response from Carbon65:
> 
> "Is Ellie and her kindergarten class an option? Like, what kind of trouble does she get into her first day?"
> 
> I realized I'd never posted it here and thought that some of you guys here might like to read it, so here it is. :)

**September 1914**

All five members of the Kelly family climbed the steps of the tall brick school building together. Three-year-old Nicholas was on the far left, his right hand grasped firmly in Jack’s. On Jack’s other hand was five-and-a-half-year-old Eleanor, the focus of today’s attention, who, as befit a child on her first day of school, was wearing a smart new dress, shiny patent leather shoes bought especially for the occasion, and an abundance of hairclips that were failing to keep her unruly curls in check. Holding Eleanor’s right hand was Katherine, who stopped at the top of the stairs to scoop 21-month-old Theo up onto her hip.

“This way!” Eleanor announced, tugging her parents forward and through the open doors of the school. She knew exactly where to go and marched them confidently down the hallway to the kindergarten room. 

The Kellys had searched high and low for a progressive school for their brilliant, headstrong child, and they’d been thrilled to find one just a few blocks away from the Pulitzer mansion. They’d been even more thrilled –Eleanor especially– upon learning that they could tour the school and meet the teachers a full week before school started. This was a dream come true for Ellie, who wanted nothing more than to go to school like Cousin Danny and spend all day reading and writing and learning new things. She’d been nagging her parents about going to school for the last year and a half, and when the momentous tour day finally arrived, she clung to her mother and cried tears of joy.

Today was the actual, genuine first day of school, though, and Eleanor was practically floating with excitement. She felt as if she’d been born ready for this; she’d woken up at 4am, dressed herself, and then sat down to write letters for her parents to read later that morning (”So you don’t get too sad from missing me”). And now that they were finally on their way, she was dancing like a lit firecracker.

“I’m gonna paint the alphabet today,” Ellie announced proudly. “They have an easel just like Daddy’s, an’ I’m gonna paint the alphabet an’ Grandma an’ Mitzi an’ my bed an’ a bagel!”

“That’s gonna be quite the painting, astoreen,” Jack chuckled.

“Yeah!” Ellie skipped the next several feet, forcing Jack and Kath to pick up the pace. “An’ then I’m gonna read **alllllllll** the books! Me an’ Mommy looked at the books together when we was here yesterday, right, Mommy?”

“We did, Bunny, when we came last week.”

“Yeah! Last week!” Eleanor poked her head out to peer around Jack’s legs and look at her brother. “They have so many books, Nicky!** I** can borrow them ‘cause it’s **my **class, but you can’t, okay? You can look at them, but don’t read them. They’re for big kids who go to school, not for little kids like you.”

Nicholas ignored this completely; he was distracted by the echoing noise his shoes made in the hallway if he stomped with all his might instead of walking normally.

As soon as they were within sight of the classroom, Eleanor dropped her parents’ hands and ran squealing for the door. “Miss Ellis! Miss Ellis! I’m here! It’s me! Do you remember me from yesterday? I’m Eleanor!”

Jack grinned and ambled in after her, while Katherine smiled wistfully and kissed Theo on the forehead. “Don’t you run off and leave me anytime soon, Bear,” she whispered. “Just the one of you in school is quite enough for now.”

By the time Katherine entered the room, Eleanor had already hung her bag and sweater up in her cubby and was dragging Nicholas around, pointing out all of the things she’d get to play with today that he was not allowed to touch. “But don’t worry, Bug—soon you’ll be big like me, and then you can play with the toys an’ eat snack at school, too.” Nicky looked perplexed, but since Ellie wasn’t explaining this confusing information any further, he contented himself with making quiet vroom vroom noises as he looked at the array of wooden cars on a child-sized shelf.

Eleanor finished her whirlwind tour of the classroom at about the same time that Jack and Katherine had finished re-introducing themselves to Miss Ellis, a pretty young woman with an immaculate updo that was the antithesis of Eleanor’s wild curls. Katherine motioned Ellie over, readjusting Theo on her hip and causing the toddler to cling to her even more tightly. “We’ve got to go now, muffin. You have a wonderful day, alright?”

“Yes, Mommy! I will!” Eleanor flung her arms around Katherine and jumped up and down as she tried to kiss her mother’s lips.

“Feet on the ground, sweetheart,” Katherine reminded her, and Eleanor stilled just long enough to kiss Katherine and Theo before darting over to repeat the process with Nicky and Jack.

“Bye!” She sang, shooing them out the door by flapping her tiny hands. Then she raced away to the reading corner, where another little girl was standing and looking avidly at the pictures on the book covers. “Let’s read one!” Ellie said, pulling a book down at random and taking the other child’s hand. 

Jack and Katherine hovered in the background, wanting to watch her get settled in. They hoped Ellie was too absorbed in reading and making friends to notice their presence, but their hopes were in vain; Eleanor looked up and blinked in surprise when she saw that her family hadn’t left yet. Abruptly shoving the book into the other girl’s lap, she dashed back over to Katherine and Jack. “Go away! You hafta to leave so I can tell you everything when I get home!”

“Okay, Ellie. You’re right,” Katherine said, her voice a bit thick. “May I have one more kiss, please?”

Eleanor happily obliged. “Mwah!”

“Have fun, Bunny,” Jack said, the laugh lines around his eyes creasing slightly. “And be good, okay?”

“I’ll be the goodest bestest, Daddy,” Eleanor reassured him, and then ran off once more.

“Well, I guess that’s our cue,” Jack said, lifting his cap and smoothing his hair down.

“I guess,” Katherine said, her lower lip trembling.

“Aw, angel,” Jack said, taking Katherine’s hand and pulling her gently out of the room. “She’s gonna be just fine.” Katherine sniffled and nodded, and Jack dropped her hand in order to hug her tight. “And so are you,” he said kindly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “In fact, I know just the thing to cheer you up until it’s time to come get our little monster again at lunchtime.”

Katherine still didn’t trust herself to speak, so she raised her eyebrows instead.

“Girls’ morning with Chaya and Rosie,” he said, beaming. “Me an’ Charlie’re gonna handle the kiddos while you gals do mom stuff an’ eat petticoats.”

Katherine burst out laughing. “Petits fours!”

Jack winked. “There’s only three of ya, far as I c’n count, but if ya wanna eat four petticoats, well, that’s fine by me.”

Katherine brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled. “Oh, Jack. You make my heart sing.” 


End file.
